


i'll take care of you(if you ask me to)

by BooyahFordhamYacht



Series: don't call me lover, it's not enough(zagene oneshots) [2]
Category: Buzzfeed The Try Guys (Web Series)
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Attempted Rape, Clubbing, Drinking, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Getting Together, M/M, Protective Eugene, Sexual Harrassment, Some minor violence, Tropes, Unwanted Advances, Zach Whump
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-01
Updated: 2018-08-01
Packaged: 2019-06-19 22:25:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,685
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15519960
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BooyahFordhamYacht/pseuds/BooyahFordhamYacht
Summary: when zach finds himself in a dangerous situation, of course eugene comes to his rescue.tropey af!! pining man rescues crush from weird drunk guy. feelings ensue. we love eugene. that is all.





	i'll take care of you(if you ask me to)

Zach hadn’t even wanted to fucking come out tonight. It had been Ned’s idea, because it was their first night off since the launch and Ned’s first night out since the baby, so he was eager to see people that weren’t the Try Guys, Ariel or Wes.

 

Zach tagged along, because he loves his friends(and because Eugene had given him puppy dog eyes, who was he to say no to those eyes), but now he was sitting at the bar by himself while Ned and Ariel danced and Keith and Becky danced and Eugene danced with anyone who was dancing alone. He sighs and takes another sip from the beer Eugene had bought him before disappearing, presumably for several hours if not the whole night. 

 

He likes going out sometimes, but most of the time it’s just a reminder how much of a loner he is within his own friend group. 

 

“Hey, handsome.” and even though Zach’s like, nearly positive he isn’t the one being called handsome, he turns towards the voice. It’s a big guy, easily twice Zach’s size, staring  _ directly at him  _ with a creepy look in his eye that makes Zach’s stomach twist. 

 

“Uh, hi.” Zach says, brain working a million miles a minute to figure out how to escape into the crowd. He scans desperately for someone he knows, someone who would know he’s not okay. Nothing.

 

“You here alone?” Big Guy asks, and Zach shakes his head.

 

“Really? I don’t see anyone with you.” Zach can tell this guy won’t be leaving him alone without some kind of confrontation.

 

“My friends are here, and I’m not interested.” He forces as much bravery into his voice as he can. It isn’t much. 

 

“You need some better friends, because it seems to me like you’re sitting here all alone. Anyone could just walk right up to you. Why don’t you come with me?” Big Guy is scaring the shit out of Zach, and he digs his nails into his thighs, praying someone will see. 

 

“Uh, no, I’m good here.” Zach just wants him to walk away.

 

Big Guy’s eyes darken, and he grabs Zach’s wrist, twisting it hard enough that Zach winces. “I  _ said, _ why don’t you come with me?”

 

“Why don’t you get your fucking hand off of him before I break it?”  _ Eugene.  _ Zach turns his head just enough to spot the man standing behind him, and relief floods him. 

 

“Who are you?” Big Guy asks angrily, not letting go of Zach.

 

“Right now, I’m just his boyfriend,” and Zach blinks here, because that’s not true, but if it’ll save him right now that’s fine. “But if you don’t let him go I’ll be the guy who broke all fourteen knuckles in that big ugly hand of yours.” 

 

With a grunt, Big Guy lets go of Zach and turns to disappear into the crowd. Eugene’s come around to face Zach in a split second, holding Zach’s arm gently in his hands. The fingerprints are red and Zach knows they’ll leave bruises.

 

“I should have killed him,” Eugene mutters under his breath.

 

Zach chuckles a moment, stopping when he realizes Eugene isn’t kidding. Eugene’s focused on the marks on Zach’s arm.

 

“Gene,” Zach murmurs, and it’s enough to get Eugene to make eye contact, “I’m okay.”

 

“He left marks, Zach! You’re gonna have bruises! How is that okay?” Eugene’s voice does that low thing it only takes on when he’s fucking  _ mad.  _

 

“It’s nothing, Eugene. Really, I’m okay. I’m just a little shaken up is all.” 

 

Eugene sighs and drops Zach’s arm, running a hand through his hair. “Okay. Okay, cmon.” Eugene was Zach’s ride tonight anyway, so he doesn’t question Eugene leading him out to his car. 

 

The car ride is quiet, and Zach absentmindedly rubs at the marks on his wrist. Eugene drives without a word, glancing over at Zach repeatedly. It’s only when Eugene parks the car and Zach looks up from blankly staring at the dashboard that he realizes they’re parked not outside Zach’s house, but Eugene’s apartment. 

 

“Gene? What are we-”

 

“Just come on, Zach.” Eugene doesn’t seem to be in a mood to explain, but Zach trusts him, so he unbuckles and follows Eugene up the stairs. Pesto and Emma greet them at the door with wagging tails and a bark or two. 

 

“You can take the bed tonight, Zach. I’ll sleep on the couch.” Eugene says as he sets his coat on the chair by the door. Before Zach can even begin to protest Eugene speaks again. “Don’t bother trying to change my mind, it won’t work. And besides, you know how sore you’d be in the morning if I let you sleep on the couch tonight.”

 

Zach stares for a moment, and then, quietly, “Thank you.” 

 

Eugene just nods. “You can, uh, take a shower, you know the bathroom’s connected to my room. I’ll leave some clothes on the bed for you to sleep in.” 

 

Zach’s starting to figure out that Eugene really isn’t to be argued with right now, and a shower does sound good, so he just nods, murmurs another thank you and heads for the bathroom. 

 

When he’s out of the shower, warm and feeling a lot more relaxed and safe than he had been, he finds a pair of sweatpants that are slightly too big and a sweatshirt he quickly recognizes as one of Eugene’s very favorites. He’s about to head out into the living room when he catches Eugene’s voice coming from beyond the shut door. 

 

“... _ Yeah, yeah, I think he’s alright. A little shaken up, but otherwise okay. So it’s okay if you take Bowie for the night? I mean, he likes Beanie anyways… yeah, man, thank you. Thanks. … No, I’m alright. Really, I’m okay. It was just, I haven’t been that angry in a long time...  Yeah, we’ll see you tomorrow. Yeah, yeah, goodnight Ned.” _

  
Zach hears Eugene sigh, and assuming he’s off the phone, decides to open the door. Eugene’s sat on the couch, elbows on his knees and face in his hands. He looks up when he hears Zach step into the living room.    
  


“Uh, hey.” Zach says. He doesn’t know what to make of the conversation he’d just overheard. Why would Ned ask if  _ Eugene  _ was okay? Like, sure, it’s got to be awful to have to do that for a friend, but it seems weird that Eugene would call it the angriest he’s been in a long time, just for a friend. 

 

“Hey,” Eugene smiles softly. “I made you tea. I’m out of the peppermint tea you like but I was pretty sure you also like jasmine, so I hope that’s okay?” he gestures to a steaming mug on the coffee table in front of the couch. 

 

Zach flushes slightly and something warm and inviting turns in his belly. “Thank you.”

 

He settles, tea in hand and legs curled, on the opposite end of the couch from Eugene. Eugene is drinking tea too, and they sit in relative silence, broken only by an occasional whine from Emma if Eugene stops petting her. 

 

And then, “why are you doing this?” from Zach, and Eugene’s hand stills on Emma’s back.

 

“What?” Eugene looks over at Zach, who just shrugs.

 

“I don’t know, why are you doing all of this? I mean, you could have just taken me back to my place, but…” 

 

This time, it’s Eugene who shrugs. “We’re friends, aren’t we? I mean, you’re one of my best friends, Zach.” And it makes sense, sure, but the way Eugene says it, like he’s desperate for Zach to believe, almost makes Zach angry.  _ Why won’t he just be honest with me? _

 

“Gene, you know I think of us as more than just-” Oh. Fuck. That had just slipped out, and the shock on Eugene’s face has Zach wishing the ground would swallow him, or some forgiving higher power would give him the ability to rewind time and just. Not say that.

 

“What did you say?” and Eugene’s voice is that wispy kind of disbelief, and Zach stands up so fast tea sloshes over the side of his mug. 

 

“Uh, I’m sorry, I uh, I should go. I’ll just, go.” but before Zach can make it to the door, Eugene is talking again and Zach’s legs just won’t let him keep going. 

 

“Tonight, when he had his hands on you,  _ hurting  _ you… I never thought I was capable of that type of red-hot anger. I didn’t think that was me. And then you looked so tiny and alone and afraid, and the idea of someone doing that to you? I swear, I could have  _ killed  _ him. So that’s why I did all this. Because I don’t ever want anyone to hurt you like that, not if I can do anything about it, and mmf!” Eugene’s next words get lost as Zach turns and takes the two strides to close the distance between them, and practically dives on top of Eugene on the couch as he kisses him. 

 

Eugene’s frozen for a second, and then his hands are on Zach’s back, his chest, his cheeks, and Eugene is  _ kissing Zach  _ and it’s everything all at once and Zach has to pull away after a minute because they’re panting like teenagers, and then they’re  _ laughing _ and kissing again and laughing and Zach sneaks his hand to pinch himself in the crook of his elbow because there is no  _ way  _ this is really happening right now. 

 

* * *

 

Zach’s warm when he wakes up, and when he manages to pry his sleepy eyes open he finds it’s because there is an arm around his waist and two legs tangled with his, and two dogs curled in front of him, Pesto’s fur just touching one of his hands. 

 

Zach sighs contentedly and the arm over his waist moves. Zach rolls onto his back, and is met with the slowly opening eyes of a sleepy Eugene. 

 

Eugene smiles, one of those rare, contented, warm smiles Zach loves so much. “Hi.” he says, voice uncharacteristically soft.

 

Zach finds himself smiling too. “Hey.”


End file.
